"Just this morning we received the final absolute NO from the Dept. of Interior and were told the Farm would not open until the shutdown ended. An hour later the Park Police showed up and closed and barricaded the office gates with us inside. This has been a very rough week and we are profoundly grateful that this is ending."

But in a dramatic reversal, the National Park Service now says the farm can open.

"We have no idea why the NPS changed its mind but we are very pleased that they did and hope that every group trying to operate on Federal lands has the same happy outcome," Eberly says. Eberly credits press coverage and an outpouring of support from private individuals for the NPS' reversal. The threat of lawsuits challenging the NPS' unprecedented, arbitrary and capricious behavior may have been a factor as well.

Unprecedented, arbitrary and capricious? How about negligent and perhaps even criminal? Who barricades an office with people still inside?

"Just this morning we received the final absolute NO from the Dept. of Interior and were told the Farm would not open until the shutdown ended. An hour later the Park Police showed up and closed and barricaded the office gates with us inside. This has been a very rough week and we are profoundly grateful that this is ending."

But in a dramatic reversal, the National Park Service now says the farm can open.

"We have no idea why the NPS changed its mind but we are very pleased that they did and hope that every group trying to operate on Federal lands has the same happy outcome," Eberly says. Eberly credits press coverage and an outpouring of support from private individuals for the NPS' reversal. The threat of lawsuits challenging the NPS' unprecedented, arbitrary and capricious behavior may have been a factor as well.

Unprecedented, arbitrary and capricious? How about negligent and perhaps even criminal? Who barricades an office with people still inside?